Travis High School Percussion Bash

If you are looking for something to do Friday night, come to the Second Annual Travis High School Percussion Bash!  The Percussion Ensemble has been working on this for months. It will feature their Winter Drumline show, which they will compete with beginning on Saturday.  Jeffrey and Scott are both in the show.  Jeffrey will be playing some mallet instrument.  (I don't know which one.  He may even be playing more than one during the course of the show.) Scott will be playing the synthesizer.  (Don't ask me how a French horn player with two years of piano lessons ended up playing the synthesizer.  I don't know.)

I am not usually one to try to persuade people to go to normal band concerts.  Heck, I have kids in band, and I think the concerts are boring.  But the Percussion Bash is different.  It's really entertaining (at least last year's was). Even Robert, who hates most anything to do with band, liked the Percussion Bash.  Now that's saying something!

So, if you're bored Friday night and looking for a cheap date (it's either free or a small donation), come to the Percussion Bash!  Join the Clutters clapping and cheering for Jeffrey and Scott!

P.S.  Jeffrey is lots of fun to watch play.  He was very subdued when he played in church (as is appropriate), but that's not usually the case.  He really plays with a lot of flair.  He's well worth watching all by himself.

**Edit**

We just got back from the show, and it was awesome!  Very high energy and lots of fun to watch.  I love percussion!!

Ash Wednesday

It's 5:00, and Jeffrey just said to me, "It's Ash Wednesday". Until he said that, I hadn't even realized it.  Which isn't really surprising since Mormons don't observe Ash Wednesday.  But I was raised Catholic.  Ash Wednesday was part of my life for eighteen years.  It was the day we went to church and got ashes on our forehead.  It was a big deal. I realize I have been a member of the LDS church for 30 years, but still.  I feel like I've forgotten part of my heritage. 

What Circus Performer Am I?

You Should Juggle

You've got the talent to go far in life, but you don't really like to take risks. You rather practice your well honed skills than put your life in danger. You are agile and coordinated. You can work magic with your hands. You truly mesmerize people. You don't have to resort to cheap tricks and gimmicks.

What Circus Act Should You Perform?

There you go.  In the circus, I would be a death defying juggler!  I'm such a daredevil!

I Do Not Like This!

On Saturday a 27-year-old woman was taken from a shopping area in northwest Harris County.  She was shot, and her body was later found in a ditch.  She was taken during the middle of the day.  

It's horrible that this would happen to anyone.  But it scares me because Kimberly lives very near where the girl was taken!  I DO NOT LIKE THAT!!!  It makes me want to drive up to Kimberly's apartment with a U-Haul, load up her stuff, and move her back home.  And then never let her go anywhere without an armed guard.  I know that's a bit irrational, but I don't care.  I want to keep my baby safe.  

You never stop being a mom and worrying about your kids, do you?

In Honor of Jennifer's Blogging Return

On Saturday, the Stake Primary held a one day Scout camp for the 11-year-old boys in the stake.  I was in charge, and Jennifer was there to help.  One of the highlights for the boys was throwing a tomahawk at a target.  It turned out to be the highlight for many of the adults too.  Including Jennifer:

Look at that form!  Of course, I'm not sure she actually got the tomahawk anywhere near the target.  But she looks good, doesn't she?

In the interest of fairness, I feel I should post a picture of Jennifer's husband, Andy, who was also there helping.  He developed a bit of an obsession with the tomahawks.  But he also got pretty good at throwing them - as evidenced by this picture:

Nice job, Andy!!  (Sorry he showed you up, Jennifer.)

I did not throw the tomahawks.  There were too many people watching, and I was afraid I might pull a Van Gogh and cut my ear off!

I Love to Give Presents!!

Many of you know that Lori's husband, Gary, has been traveling to Australia on business.  On one of his trips he brought Lori back a key chain coin purse made of a real cane toad (minus the arms and legs).  Because I am a loving (and slightly evil) mother, I decided Kimberly, who has a large key chain collection, needed a toad of her own! Gary, pleased to spread this unique souvenir across the U.S., was happy to oblige.  Here is Kimberly's toad:  

Not content to just give him to her, I placed him in a box, which I then wrapped in pretty paper.  Kimberly came down today and we went out to lunch.  After we placed our order, I gave her her present.  She was very excited.  After she opened the present, however, her excitement turned to, well, I'm not sure.  Dismay?  Disgust?  Chagrin?  Lets just say I don't think she shares Lori's love for the little toads! Here she is pictured with her toad:  

Note that she is carefully holding him by the key ring.  She has so far refused to touch him.  Poor little guy.

She is planning to name him soon.  I am confident that once she names him, she will begin to develop an attachment towards him.  If she doesn't, I may have Lori send Harriet over to slap her around a little.

Curb Number Update

We bought a can of white spray paint!!  And I made a template to tape over the rest of the numbers so I don't spray them too!  Now I'm just waiting for a nice sunny day so I can go paint out that cursed extra "2".  We are making progress!!

**If you are confused as to what I am talking about, go read my "Curb Numbers" post from February 6th.**

My Map

Near the bottom of my blog is a map which shows me where people are located who read my blog.  I totally stole this from Lori, because I think it's really cool.  I'm intrigued that some person in Tunisia has read my blog 3 times.  Hi, Tunisia!

Anyway, I notice there are a fair number of people in the U.S. who have read my blog.  In some areas, it's been read more than 10 times in the past month.  I don't want to scare anyone off, but I'd like to know who you are.  I know about my readers (and fellow bloggers) in Arizona, Colorado, and Washington (hi, Analee, Rhonda, and Jamie).  The rest of you?  Don't be anonymous!  I would love to have you comment!  

Even if you don't comment, I hope you keep reading.  I like to see the little dots on the map get bigger!   

Top Hat

As most of you know, my son, Brian, is currently serving a mission in the Dominican Republic.  Because of the climate, he does not wear a suit - he wears dress pants, a short sleeve white shirt, and a tie.  Knowing that, here is part of the e-mail I received from him today:

Speaking of cold, I think it would be really cool to serve in a suit mission, especially if it got cold enough to have to wear a big greatcoat with the suit.  Of course, if I was wearing a greatcoat, I would have to ask my mission president for permission to wear a top hat with it.  It would be kind of like living in the 1800´s.  I think top hats should come back in style.  I might buy one when I get home, to wear around.

What?!?!?  I don't even know where that came from.  As far as I know, Brian has never expressed a desire to own either a greatcoat or a top hat.  But, I can see him now - strolling around the A&M campus wearing a top hat!  Who knows, maybe he could singlehandedly bring the top hat back into every day use!

(Brian, I know you sometimes read my blog on your P-day. I hope you don't mind if I quoted you.  I thought my friends would enjoy it.)

What Do You Think?

Scott went with a friend to an activity at another church. Actually, three churches got together and had the activity. They played video games, board games, and party games (like Musical Chairs).  He had a good time.

What I want to know is what you think of a church having a coffee bar set up at an activity for teenagers.  Scott said they did have hot chocolate and flavored hot milk (both of which he drank), but lots of the kids were drinking coffee.  I know, being LDS, we don't drink coffee, so we look at it differently.  But still, I don't think coffee is a good drink for teenagers to acquire a taste for (and an addiction to).  I wasn't raised LDS, and my mom used to drink coffee.  But she never let me have any - coffee was not something you drank until you were grown up.  

Is it just me?  Am I the only one who thinks that all this coffee drinking by teenagers is not a good thing (disregarding the whole Word of Wisdom thing even)?

No Kitties Were Injured

It was a peaceful afternoon at the Clutter home.  Robert was in the bedroom, Jeffrey was in the dining room, and Scott and I were in the family room.  Suddenly we heard a noise in our backyard - a dog (sounding very large dog like) growling.  Well, we have cats, so the four of us all sprang to our feet and went running towards the back door.  As we were running towards the door, our little female, Ming, came racing through the doggie door, with her tail at least twice its size!  We continued out the back, looking for both the dog (so we could run it off) and our other cat, Brynner. I looked out on the driveway and saw Brynner sauntering, yes sauntering, towards the back of the house.  We saw no sign of the dog, so we assume that Brynner ran it off, with all of his ferocious Siamese cat-ness!  

What a cat!  Protecting our home and his sister!  

Hello? Hello?

Is anyone out there?  The blogging world seems very quiet today.

Yippee!!

I went to the dentist today for my 6 month cleaning.  I am happy to report that I am now free for another six lovely months!!  Hallelujah!!

Both my dentist and hygienist are very nice people.  They are both gentle and patient.  So why do I have such a fear of the dentist?  I really don't know.  Going to the dentist is definitely one of my phobias though.  

I know I hate the scraping noise when I get my teeth cleaned.  The noise seems to reverberate in my head.  It's probably the same kind of reaction some people get to nails on a chalkboard.  Thank goodness it's over.

Now it's on to the gynecologist next week!  More fun!  

Random Tag

I found this blog that posts different tags every day, and I decided to do this one:

Pick one!

1. Peanut butter or jelly?  Peanut butter, all the way!  I am not a jelly eater, which is why I actually prefer to eat my peanut butter on saltine crackers.

2. Hiking or swimming?  Swimming, but not really.  I might be able to do a lap or two, but after that I would just be playing.

3. Football or baseball?  Neither to play, baseball to watch (but only in person).

4. Christmas or Thanksgiving?  I like both for different reasons.  Thanksgiving - lots of yummy food, and we usually see more relatives.  Christmas - the month long buildup full of stories, music, favorite movies and TV shows, and the joy of giving.

5. Grade school or high school?  Grade school was definitely more fun.  But if I'm in grade school again, that means I'd have to go through junior high again.  So I'd have to say high school.  

6. Summer or winter?  Summer.  I am not a cold weather gal.

7. Romance novel or mystery novel?  Mystery novel, of course (I've only said that a couple of hundred times on this blog).

8. Mickey Mouse or Barney?  Mickey Mouse.  Barney gets on my nerves.  

9. Road trip or airplane?  Airplane.  I might like road trips more if it didn't take so long to get out of Texas so you can get anywhere else (especially if you are going west).

Feel free to play along!

What We Discovered

This weekend we discovered that our new Stake Center does not have any doors that are wide enough to easily roll a marimba through.  In order to get a marimba in or out of the building, it is necessary to remove a side rail and the front (or back?) wheels and maneuver the instrument very carefully by the back (or front?) wheels while at least 2 people carry the part of the instrument now lacking wheels.  

Amazingly though, if you take out the two middle seats, and fold the rear seat into its well, it is possible (with a little effort), to fit a full size Marimba into the back of a Honda Odyssey!  Who knew?!?

Jeffrey enjoyed playing for the Open House on Saturday and for Sacrament Meeting on Sunday, but it is not something he will be doing again anytime soon!  

Sad Post

I'm sad for my sister, Chris, and her family.  They had to put their sweet dog, Lady, to sleep.  Lady was a stray my sister found in December of 2000.  She was a wonderful dog - well behaved and very sweet.  She had been having many health problems recently, and it finally reached the point where it was time to say good bye and let her go.  It's such a hard thing to do, but aren't we lucky we can relieve the pain and suffering that our pets don't understand.

I can't imagine my life without a cat or dog.  They bring such joy to us.  Unfortunately, we always have to say good bye to them sooner than we want to.

Good bye, Lady.  You were a wonderful dog, and we will miss you.

**Update**

My sister e-mailed a picture of Lady so I could put it on my blog:

Wasn't she pretty?

Curb Numbers

When I was delivering my portion of Jeffrey's fundraiser desserts, I found myself out after dark, trying to read impossibly hard to see house numbers.  I was always grateful to see curb numbers.  They would give me a general idea of where I was, so I could find the house I was looking for.  I decided that we needed our house numbers painted on our curb.  So, a few days later, when a slip appeared on our door advertising curb painting in our neighborhood the next day, it seemed like fate!  I filled out the form and left it, along with payment, attached to our door.  We were gone when they came and painted, and this is what we saw when we got home:  

Looks nice, right?  We even paid the extra $5.00 for the A&M logo (Gig 'em, Aggies).  So I should be thrilled, right? Well, I would be, if our address were 21410. Unfortunately, our address is 1410 - without the "2" in front.  I should call and tell them to come fix my number, but did I write down the name and phone number of the people who did the painting?  Nope.  That would have been sensible.  

So, we are going to have to paint out the "2" ourselves. Which won't be hard, but requires motivation.  So, lets take a poll.  How long do you think the Clutters will live with the extra "2" in front of their address?  Keep in mind, it has been almost 2 weeks already.   

Girls Night Out - Another Thought

I was thinking about "Girls Night Out".  I suspect I have some people who read my blog who are not members of my Church - the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  I wanted to make it clear that this "Girls Night Out" - which is attended by other women in my Church - involves no alcohol.  None at all.  And you know what?  We don't need it.  I can't imagine having any more fun than we do!  We get wild by drinking full on Diet Coke, Dr. Pepper, or Barq's Root Beer, instead of the caffeine free variety!  We are rebels!  

I just wanted to clarify that for any non-LDS readers I might have.  

Girls Night Out!

So.  Much.  Fun.

That is all.

What?!?!?

I try not to be political on my blog, but sometimes I just can't resist.  Warning: If you are a democrat or a Nancy Pelosi fan, do not watch this video!!

500 MILLION AMERICANS?!?!?  All I have to say is HAHAHAHA!!!!

I Have a Question

So, today I changed the sheets on my bed.  In the last couple of years I have actually started changing them on a regular basis (shock).  Here's my question.  When you guys change your sheets, can you tell the difference when you go to bed that night?  Because I can't.  My clean sheets tonight will feel the same as my dirty sheets last night.  I hear of people who love the feel of clean sheets.  So what am I doing wrong?  Am I the only one who can't tell when my sheets are clean?  Is there something wrong with me???

Girls Night Out!

I loved Liz' post about Girls' Night Out.  I felt a challenge from Lori when she mentioned me putting it in song, so I wrote a little ditty to be sung to the tune of the Gilligan's Island theme song (I know you all know that).  Enjoy!

Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale,

A tale of a fun night out.

When chicks all come from far and wide

For fun, without a doubt.  

The place may change from month to month,

But one thing is for sure

If you're down or feeling blue

Girls' Night is the cure.  

We'll meet this coming Thursday,

Seven is the time.

So leave your kids with dad and come

to Five Guys Burgers and Fries.

The place will fill with lots of laughs

And stories will be told

By Jennifer and Shelley too,

Courtney, Lori, and Laura,

Sarah, Liz, and the rest,

There eating burgers and fries!

See you Thursday!  I still think we should carpool.  Anyone want to meet at the Stake Center and ride over together?

 

Jeffrey's Eagle Project!!

Here is our kitchen table, full of Jeffrey's Eagle project:

In the back, you can see the stack of 18 tied lap quilts, made from a variety of very cute fabrics.  Surrounding the quilts are the items Jeffrey and I purchased at Wal-Mart, using the extra $200.00 that he raised with his fundraiser. Diapers (in a variety of sizes), baby wipes, Desitin, baby food (stages 1 and 2), juice boxes, and assorted children's medicine.  All items the Fort Bend County Women's Center said they needed.  We hope to deliver everything on Thursday, and then his project will be complete!  I think it was a worthwhile project and should be a great help to the Women's Center.  

To the Mailbox!

Today I walked down to my mailbox at the end of my street. I had my dog, Bailey, on the leash - which she loved!  I should probably do that more often - it would be good for both of us.  What was funny, though, was the third member of our walking trio - our Siamese cat, Brynner!  Yes, that's right - he bounded (yes, bounded) down the sidewalk alongside of us.  It always amuses me when my cat walks with me to the mailbox!